The Predator is unquestionably one of the most iconic movie monsters in modern cinema. First introduced in the 1987 classic Predator, this ruthless, highly intelligent killing machine was seen working his way through a heavily armed squad of soldiers before meeting his match against the equally iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger. The success of the movie has led to five sequels–including the upcoming The Predator–plus a wider universe of comic books, novels, and video games.
But despite the brilliance of that initial Predator design, the first movie started shooting with an entirely different alien protagonist. The original Predator costume had a long neck, a strange bird-like head, and backward-bending legs, but technical issues with the suit led to production closing down for several months while makeup effects visionary Stan Winston worked on a new look, which is now part of movie history.
Since then, the look of the Predator has evolved from movie to movie, with each new entry in the series adapting and updating the basic design. Some of these changes are to the armor and weaponry, and sometimes to the appearance of the alien itself. Often the changes are to make the Predator look scarier than the previous film, but occasionally a more sympathetic Predator is required, such as in the first Alien vs. Predator. The writers, artists, and designers of the comics and games have also taken the design in some interesting new directions.
In 1994, a name was given to this race of alien hunters–the Yautja. The name is never used in the films, but was introduced into the wider universe in the novel Alien vs. Predator: Prey and is now commonly used by fans. The same applies to the names of the Predators themselves–many of these were simply used on set or have been applied by fans after the movies were released, but are now accepted titles.
With the latest movie, The Predator, hitting theaters on September 14, we’ll soon be able to see what the next stage of Predator evolution is. We already know from the trailers that director Shane Black has something very big and scary in store. So here’s a look back over the past 31 years of Predator evolution, to see exactly how this much-loved (and feared) movie monster has changed. Let’s hunt!